Luis Figo urges Gianni Infantino to step down over abandoned World Cup stake sale plan | OneFootball

Luis Figo has urged FIFA president Gianni Infantino to step down, using a column to become the first major figure to publicly demand his resignation.

L'Équipe reports that the former Portugal international wrote that while FIFA has many problems, the answer was simple, Infantino should leave.

He targeted Infantino's plan to set up a commercial company to sell stakes in the World Cup. Although the proposal was dropped after widespread opposition, Figo argued the U-turn should be followed by a resignation.

An adviser to UEFA, he said the past 10 days had shown the most unworthy, devious and selfish conduct he had witnessed.

The 2000 Ballon d'Or winner called Infantino a relic of the past and criticised a lack of transparency and communication with other football stakeholders.

He asked why the operation was not presented as delivering a 30 million dollar annual salary, and cited World Cup controversies from Folarin Balogun's overturned suspension to the lengthy half-time in the final. He added that support had ebbed, including that of the FIFA Peace Award winner, meaning Donald Trump, and concluded it was too late to save Infantino's dignity but not football, so he should leave immediately.

Source: L'Équipe

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